Most logical ways the 49ers can move on from Jimmy Garoppolo

The Atlanta Falcons are in free fall, recently firing their head coach and general manager. The Falcons know it might be time for a full-scale rebuild, and this might mean letting go of their all-time passing leader, Matt Ryan.

While Ryan is 35 and showing some signs of decline, he did have an MVP season in 2016 when current 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was his offensive coordinator. Although getting Ryan is possible, he currently has three years and $74.75 million on his contract. The Falcons would have to be willing to absorb the money and cut him, or the 49ers would have to be willing to take on a majority of that salary in a trade. Ryan is a viable option but one who is expensive, and the Niners do not have a ton of cap space to work with for 2021.

Make a play for Dak Prescott

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback will be a free agent after the 2020 season. He has the most potential out of any quarterbacks who aren’t in the draft, but signing Prescott will be easier said than done. The Cowboys are likely to franchise tag him again, meaning any team that wants to sign Prescott will have to negotiate with the Cowboys to get his rights, and then that team would need to give the fifth-year vet his money. 

While Prescott was on the verge of having a career year, he suffered a horrendous ankle injury that will take a long time to heal. He is the most talented quarterback to potentially go on the market, but his injury and contract value will make any team evaluate the risk.

Draft Jimmy G's replacement

The consensus No. 1 pick is Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. Some scouts have called Lawrence a real franchise-changing quarterback. Yet if the season were to end today, the 49ers would pick at 13, meaning they would have to trade a king’s ransom to move up to the top in order to get Lawrence. While there are still other talented QBs in the 2021 draft (Justin Fields, Trey Lance, Kyle Trask), the 49ers roster is set up to “win now,” and having a rookie quarterback is usually a long process where winning does not happen right away.

Garoppolo led the Niners to their best record since 2011, and while he is not the best quarterback, he is the best one currently on the roster. It is important for the Niners to not make the final decision about Garoppolo based on this season. Even if they want to draft a new quarterback, having Garoppolo mentor the young signal-caller will do wonders for that rookie’s career early on. His contract is team-friendly, and even if the Niners can’t win with him, keeping him on the roster beyond 2020 in a mentoring role could be in the team’s best interest. Yet the longer the Niners keep losing, the more his job status will be in question.